Thaindian News

Jodhpur, Oct 22 (IANS) In a major breakthrough, one of the two key suspects accused of kidnapping missing nurse Bhanwari Devi was remanded to two-day police custody after he surrendered in a court here Saturday, his lawyer said.

Shahabuddin, a resident of Pipad area here in Rajasthan and a mechanic by profession, surrendered in a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court.

“The CBI had sought a 10-day police remand to which we objected… The court finally sent him to two-day police custody,” said Shahabuddin’s lawyer Jagmal Choudhary.

Shahabuddin is accused of kidnapping Bhanwari Devi, missing since about two months. She allegedly features in a CD showing her in a compromising position with Rajasthan’s sacked minister Mahipal Maderana.

Sources said that Shahabuddin is accused of working under the instructions of Sahi Ram Vishnoi — a small-time politician here who is now the only identified accused on the run.

Sahi Ram is believed to be close to sacked water resources minister Maderana, who has been accused by the nurse’s family for the kidnapping.

“Sahi Ram was the mastermind while Shahabuddin was the executioner of the kidnapping plan,” a police officer told IANS.

Police have already arrested two people — Sohan Lal Vishnoi and Baldev Jaat alias Balia — in connection with the case.

Maderana was last week sacked by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

Maderana was among those named in a First Information Report (FIR) after Bhanwari Devi remained absent from duty from Aug 25, confined herself to her home for a few days and then vanished without trace Sep 1.

Rumours quickly gripped the state that she featured in the CD in a “compromising position” with the minister, who repeatedly denied he had anything to do with her.

Under attack, the Rajasthan government ordered the CBI to take over the case after the Rajasthan Police was pulled up for allegedly not taking on Maderana.

The Rajasthan High Court Oct 13 asked police to explain why they had not questioned those named in the case.

The court sought the explanation when counsel for the nurse’s husband Amarchand objected to Maderana not being questioned by police though his name figured in the FIR covering charges of rape, kidnap and murder.